Chapter 421: Liu Shen’s Challenge

In the Heavenly Azure Dragon Sect, duels were categorised into two types: Normal Duels and Death Duels.

Under Normal Duels, if both parties don’t have a significant difference in their cultivation layers and are not in different cultivation stages, then they must accept the challenge.

While the parties will be expected to give their all, each party has the right to forfeit the match a minute after it has started.

However, refusal to accept the challenge in such a scenario will result in the termination of the disciple’s name from the sect’s records, and they would be ousted from the sect for being a cultivator who runs away from challenges.

Whereas, things are different with Death Duels. As the name suggests, unlike normal duels, death duels are fought between two parties to settle an irreconcilable dispute. Both the parties are given an opportunity to refuse the challenge.

However, once accepted, there’s no going back, as the duel would only end with the death of either one or both of the parties involved.

Yi Chen was reminded of this as he went through the scroll that had just been thrown in his direction by one of Liu Shen’s lackeys. It was a challenge letter, and all the necessary details, along with the penalties, were clearly mentioned in it.

’Normal Duel...Challenger: Liu Shen... Challengee: Yi Chen... Cultivation at the same layer...’

Yi Chen thought while going through the challenge letter before glancing at the two lackeys who were glaring at him with eyes filled with hatred.

"What about you two? Are you two dogs not challenging me to save your master’s face?" Yi Chen asked with a provoking smile.

"Hah! Do you take us for fools? We are only at the Seventh Meridian Refinement Stage, unlike you, who are already at the Ninth Meridian Refinement Stage. Just patiently wait until tomorrow morning for Brother Liu Shen to teach you a lesson!"

Being called a dog, one of the lackeys snorted and roared, with the other one joining him soon after.

"Right! Like hell we’ll fall for such obvious provocations! You shouldn’t have messed with Brother Liu Shen in the first place, but now that you have, just wait for tomorrow’s duel! Brother Liu will break that very mouth of yours which you used to insult him on that day!"

"Amazing, such loyal dogs the two of you are." Yi Chen praised in an overexaggerated manner and continued, "A pity though, instead of me, it’s going to be your master who’s going to be left in a crippled state after messing with me. Remember to lick his wounds well, you bitch like bastards haha!"

"Y-You bastard!"

"Don’t go too far! We just need to relay what you’ve just said to Brother Liu Shen, and then, along with that nasty mouth of yours, he’ll cripple all your limbs as well!"

"Oh? Don’t go too far, you say?" Yi Chen’s eyes sharpened the very next moment as he continued, "You’ll see exactly what going too far means at the duel tomorrow morning. As for that lousy threat of yours, go and bitch about it to your owner, for I don’t give a fuck."

Fuming in anger, both their faces turned red the moment they heard Yi Chen’s reply. However, at the same time, they knew that it wasn’t their place to pick a fight.

Taking deep breaths, they managed to control their anger as one of them warned Yi Chen while glaring at him with eyes that could kill.

"We’ll see whether that carefree attitude of yours persists in the duelling ground tomorrow morning or not!"

One of them said with a hateful snort and, not waiting for Yi Chen’s counter, left with his colleague the very next moment.

’For mere insects, they sure had a lot to say...’ Yi Chen thought while glaring at their backs, annoyance evident in his expression.

"Brother Chen..."

Zhou Mei’s voice came from the side, drawing Yi Chen’s attention the very next moment.

’Yes, she must be worried...’ Yi Chen thought the very next moment and said while turning towards her, "Little Mei, you don’t need to worry about me. I won’t lo-"

However, before Yi Chen could finish his words, he noticed a frown of confusion forming on Zhou Mei’s face, who said the very next moment while cutting him off, "Huh? Who’s worried about you? We all here are well aware of Brother Chen’s feats, so why would we be worried about you facing a mere Ninth Meridian Refinement Stage cultivator?"

"This..." Yi Chen couldn’t help but be at a loss for words the moment he heard her, as his gaze went towards Qin Yao and others, only to see that not one of them carried a trace of worry on their faces.

’What the hell...aren’t you guys even a little bit worried about me?’ he thought as a bitter sigh soon escaped his lips.

The next moment, he turned towards Zhou Mei and asked, "Then... why did you call me earlier?"

’Maybe she’s a little embarrassed to admit that she was worried and changed her words when I confronted her?’ Yi Chen thought, as a means of consoling himself, as he curiously waited for a response.

"Ah, that," Zhou Mei subtly lifted her head in realisation and said while raising her fist, "I just wanted to tell you to beat the shit out of that bastard Liu Shen! So be sure to beat him good, Brother Chen, or I’ll be greatly disappointed."

"...I see." Yi Chen’s expression dulled the moment he heard those words and nodded while hearing similar words from Qin Yao and others as well.

’Sigh... I shouldn’t have expected anything in the first place.’ He thought while letting out a disappointed sigh and asked, "So where are you guys planning to go now?"

"Hmm, since all the facilities will only be available to us tomorrow, I was planning to return to the quarter and cultivate. Because of trying to make my new schedule work, I’ve been depriving myself of sleep lately." Feng Ning suggested the very next moment.

"That’s a very good idea, Sister Ning! There’s nothing better than taking a nap in the even-" Qin Yao added with a cheery expression, but before he could finish his sentence, he felt an eerie sensation from the side.

"A-Ah, Brother Chen, I was only kidding. Definitely, I’m going to practice until I collapse like usual, ahaha..." Qin Yao said while struggling to meet Yi Chen’s eyes.

"I hope that’s really the case..." Yi Chen answered with narrowed eyes before looking at everyone else. "Alright guys, let’s meet during dinner then, as we all have our own things to do."

With that said, they all left towards their respective quarters a few moments later.

Just like Yi Chen had said, he really had many things to do. After changing into a fresh set of training robes, he started training the three sword moves in the residential quarter’s courtyard as usual, which had now become his daily routine.

"HAH!" Yi Chen exclaimed at the top of his voice while doing a vertical slash as several similar voices echoed soon after in continuation.

It wasn’t Yi Chen but the dozens of other disciples, including Qin Yao and Dong Yun, who were practising the basic moves out in the courtyard alongside Yi Chen.

Yi Chen had grown used to this daily phenomenon and, after finishing with his sword training, went to his room to freshen up before going to the dining hall.

Once dinner was over, he devoted the next three hours to his cultivation before finally falling onto his bed, feeling completely drained of all his energy.

However, despite that, he didn’t immediately go to sleep as his mind was busy thinking about which occupation he should take.

"...Is that my only option now?" Yi Chen muttered with a bitter expression soon after.

Beast Taming required one to constantly seek out beasts in order to tame them, which Yi Chen felt was very time-consuming.

Array formation and Artefact Refining, on the other hand, required one not only to use a large portion of their Qi but also utilise their mental faculties to the limit; just to get started in those occupations, one needed to learn an entirely new language called the runic language, and only then would one be able to learn more about the occupation.

An investment Yi Chen felt had an extremely high initial cost.

As for Pill Refining, that was naturally a no-go because of the large amounts of spiritual energy it consumed for refining immortal pills.

That left only one option for Yi Chen.

"...Talisman Writing." Yi Chen muttered while letting out a sigh.

Although Talismans were extremely helpful, the idea of inscribing things on a sheet of paper and making it react with its surroundings paled in comparison to all the other occupations in his eyes for only one reason.

’It...It just isn’t cool!’

Letting out another disappointed sigh, Yi Chen soon shook those thoughts away from his mind.

’That’s enough...After I’m done with teaching that Liu Shen a lesson tomorrow morning, I’ll spend the entirety of the day in the library before finally making the final decision... whatever it might be...’

He thought with conviction, before finally closing his eyes.

A few minutes later, the sound of rhythmic breathing could be heard from his room.

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